A recent graduation party got me thinking about the different approaches my parents took for the education of myself and my brothers.  First there was Lemmy who received a prestigious Private School education.  His class was small with just 5 students.  Thus guaranteeing him lots of one on one instruction not only from a human teacher, but also from her dog, Cora.  And lets be honest, as their first Golden, Mom and Dad needed the personal instruction as much as Lemmy did!

I am a proud graduate with a Public School education at my local rec. center.  My class was large, and at times chaotic when the urge to play made us ignore the teacher and our parents.  Lets just say they had to lengthen the puppy playtime before class so we could burn off energy to concentrate on our lessons.  But in the end I passed my exam with ease, and even went on for an advanced degree.  I’m proud to say in addition to my Puppy Kindergarten and Basics Manners degrees, I also received my Nose Work Certification!  I am proficient in detecting birch, anise, and clove.  I even compete in Nose Work Competitions from time to time to keep my skills sharp.  But enough about me.

Asa is being Homeschooled.  Armed with the informational worksheets from Lemmy’s school, Mom and Dad are taking on the monumental task of teaching Asa.  I have to be honest though, they seem to be doing a good job.  He’s mastered his commands well before I did, and with their consistency in their efforts he is not only retaining his lessons, he’s rock solid in them.  I have to admit too, even I have benefitted from the refresher.  As for the fact he has no classmates, Mom and Dad use every opportunity when we are out and about in public to reinforce those skills and to socialize him with other dogs.  It blew my mind last weekend at the Paws Walk when Asa snapped to attention and followed his commands despite all the tempting lures that surrounded us.

Getting a good education is crucial no matter what the route.  The strong foundation of commands have given myself and my brothers the tools to be well adjusted citizens, and for that I am grateful.  Always remember that the key to life is never stop learning, and you really can teach an old dog new tricks or at least remind them of old ones!